The trip of US Middle East special envoy Dennis Ross to the region has been postponed, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told AFP Wednesday.

"The security aspect of this has been of great concern to us and it was felt that Dennis should wait," Albright said.

"But it is wrong to say the trip is off. Dennis will be going. I just can't tell you when," she said.

Haaretz newspaper reported earlier that Ross canceled his planned visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Ross was expected to arrive Thursday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a final effort to seek progress in the moribund peace process before Clinton leaves office on January 20.

But the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted spokesman at the US embassy in Tel Aviv Larry Schwartz, as denying the report.

"US special negotiator Dennis Ross is still due in Israel on Thursday," he said.

The spokesman said the visit was delayed, but had not been cancelled, according to the Post.

US President Bill Clinton announced Sunday his plan to send Ross to the region in a bid to revive the stumbling peace process between the two sides, and find ways to reduce the level of violence in the Palestinian territories -- (Several Sources)